Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Dir: Francis Ford Coppola

Starring: Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins, Winona "I'll Take It" Ryder, Keanu "Duh" Reeves

More Info: IMDB

Tagline: Love Never Dies.

Plot: Dracula comes to England to seduce a visitor's fiance and inflict havoc in the foreign land.

My Rating: 9/10

Would I watch it again? Chyeah!

This is easily one of my favorite Dracula movies of all time (NOSFERATU (1922) still reigns king). The acting (except for Reeves and, to a much lesser extent, Ryder), story, special effects, set design, wardrobe, cinematography, and the score are supurb. This film has style oozing off the frame. Absolutely beautiful to just look at.

Coppola's Dracula is different. He's not the dashing Count with the tux and cape we've seen a billion times before. He really looks like a victim of his own doing, doomed to live eternally in the shadows. I dig it. Gary Oldman sells the character without question. It's nice to have a REAL ACTOR playing Dracula, not that the others who've played him haven't been, but Oldman is one of the greatest actors of his generation.

And then there's Keanu Reeves. Reeves is a horrible actor except when it comes to playing bonehead stoners or surfers. I'm willing to bet that Amos & Andy could have produced a better British accent than Reeves. It makes me cringe to even think about it. Fortunately, everything else in this movie is pitch-perfect and allows me to tolerate Reeves. It's most painful when there's someone else on the screen opposite him that can actually act and when you've got Hopkins or Oldman on with him Reeves looks like a bad popsicle in comparrison. Woof.

The special effects are jaw-dropping. Coppola had wanted to make this film using only techniques that were available to film makers in the 1920's. The result is un-freaking-believable. That's a real tribute to the film makers for being able to compete with movies of its time (only 15 years ago) using ancient (by today's standards) techiniques. It's almost a big "fuck you" to CGI. Today's kids might think it's cheap looking since they're growing up in a world of CGI. I really admire the craftmanship that goes into these things and the beauty of the result.

AND THE SCORE!!! WOW!!! Polish classical/film composer Wojciech Kilar knocked this one out of the park. I cannot think of anyone who would have produced such a tragically beautifull and haunting score as he did. This was my first encounter with Kilar's name and work and since then I've sought out everything I can get my hands on that he's done. I've watched films he's scored ONLY because he scored them. This guy is good. One of the best. How pleased I was to have found out about him. He instantaly became one of my top favorite film composers. And just when I thought there wasn't anything exciting in film music...

I can go on and on but this movie is simply tops with me. Maybe someday someone will create some technology to allow us to replace Reeves with someone else. Hell, even re-dubbing his lines would help. His cornball head would still be there but that fake-ass accent wouldn't be. Then I'd have no choice but to give it 10/10.